The present invention pertains to an apparatus for protecting pallet racking columns. More particularly, the invention pertains to an apparatus that protects the front column of a pallet rack frames against damage caused by a forklift.
Many operations in warehouses and manufacturing plants require the use of forklift equipment for handling inventory and products. Operation of forklift equipment in facilities having pallet racking presents a significant safety concern.
A common forklift used today is a reach truck. A reach truck with a load weighs approximately 6000 to 8000 pounds. Reach trucks have straddles located near the bottom of the truck on both the right and left sides. The straddles carry and support the lift and reach mechanism of the truck. Standard operating procedures for reach trucks require the truck to approach the front of the pallet rack with the straddles. This approach positions the truck to allow the cycle of the reach mechanism carriage to deposit or retrieve pallets from the racking unit. In order for the truck to deposit or retrieve pallets, the straddles must be within three inches of the front of the column of the rack. Should the truck operator impact the column in error, considerable damage may occur to the rack. If damage occurs to the frame column of the rack unit, the entire rack unit must be emptied in order for repairs to be made. Therefore, various devices have attempted to provide a means for protecting the rack against forklift damage.
One method used to limit structural damage is to place steel fabricated protectors around the columns of the racking system. The steel protectors, however, have proven to be ineffective against the impact of a 6000 to 8000 pound forklift.
A simple technique to protect the columns of racking systems against forklift damage is presently not available. The present invention is directed at a simple apparatus to protect the front columns of racking units against forklift damage.
The invention is a column protector for positioning at a base of a warehouse rack columns to protect a column of the racking system from damage caused by forklifts. The column protector includes a collar and a foot. The collar is attached to the foot such that the collar sits higher than the foot. The collar has three sides that wrap around a rack column.
The foot includes a left side, a front and a right side that are ramped to cushion forklift impact. The foot also includes a left back side and a right back side that are ramped to cushion forklift load impact from the backside. The bottom of the foot includes a plurality of anchor reception openings, a first recessed portion and a second recessed portion. The anchor reception openings provide an opening to receive anchors to secure the column protector to a concrete floor. The first recessed portion allows the column protector to be mounted onto various seismic rack column foot plates. The second recessed portion allows the column protector to clear various seismic foot plate anchor locations.